Lunar New Year 2024 in San Francisco

The celebration of Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is a large and pompous event, held in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The major event is Chinese New Year Festival & Parade, featuring the theme of the current year's Chinese zodiac sign. But if you're looking for alternatives, San Francisco has various options to mark the occasion.

Chinese New Year Festival & Parade (February 24, 2024)

San Francisco CNY Parade is the centrepiece of all festivities, dating back to 1860. The event enrolls school marching bands, military processions, stilt walkers, acrobats, lion dancers, decorated floats, and Miss Chinatown USA. The procession is crowned with the enormous Golden Dragon carried by a group of 100 men and women, accompanied by splendid firecrackers. The parade is traditionally scheduled for a Saturday. It sets off at 5:15 pm from the intersection of the 2nd and Market Streets and weaves across the Chinatown to Jackson and Kearny Streets.

Despite the greatness of the Parade, the favorite part of the festivities for many is Treasure Hunt. It involves nearly 1600 participants, who work in teams looking for a hidden treasure. They have to solve the riddles which help them to move in the right direction to eventually get to the destination.

Lunar New Year Concert & Banquet (February 17, 2024)

If you feel like some classic music and don't mind splashing out, opt for a CNY celebration with San Francisco Symphony. Davies Symphony Hall annually invites devoted fans to Lunar New Year Concert & Banquet, scheduled for a selected Saturday. The festivities begin with preconcert entertainment in the lobby. The main part is taken by the concert conducted by Mei-Ann Chen and showcases the best of Asian traditions. Everything is capped off with a lavish banquet. Such Lunar New Year will set you back a pretty penny—individual tickets range from $1,000 to $10,000. Another option is booking a table of ten, which costs from $10,000 to $100,000.

Chinese CCHP Chinatown YMCA Lunar New Year Run (March 3, 2024)

Another annual tradition celebrating Chinese New Year enrolls for a 5K/10K run or walk. The live-in-person event takes place on a selected Sunday at 8 am, while the virtual option is going to be available throughout the entire month. The route lies across the historic San Francisco Chinatown, which provides the participants with a rare opportunity to have the streets for themselves and take in unique vibe, with its scents and sounds. The early-bird ticket price is $55 and regular admission is $60.